34 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021
Raymondville Bearkats
’Kats hoping to build quickly
By CLAIRE CRUZ Staff Writer
L
ast season was a rollercoaster for the Raymondville Bearkats that included no district games, a five-week wait between contests and one barnburner comeback victory in the postseason. This season, the Bearkats will look a little different with only seven starters returning, but the full schedule will give coach Frank Cantu and his staff the chance to build depth and prepare the team for another year chasing the District 16-4A Division II title. “We’re really excited. We want to contend for the district title,” Cantu said. “It’s a tough district. (Our non-Valley opponents) didn’t stop playing for the whole year, so we feel they’ll have an advantage. We feel like we’re a little behind the 8-ball, and we’re going to do whatever we can to catch up and compete. We hope to overcome and do really well in district and in the playoffs. We’re just excited to have a full schedule ahead of us.” Raymondville has three experienced offensive pieces in senior quarterback Jayson Cantu and linemen Nick Gomez and John Rubalcaba. Nathan Munguia is a versatile running back/receiver/defensive back who missed last season due to injury but is expected to come back in a big way this season. Because of the limited experience and a smaller roster than usual, Cantu said Raymondville will have several athletes playing on both sides of the ball. Defensive end Diego Gutierrez, a starter since his freshman year, is expected to be a clutch two-way player for the Bearkats. “We expect (Munguia) to fill in some of what (graduated star ZaRaiVion Armendarez) was doing, and he’s going to be our go-to back. We have some young sophomores we’ll give the ball to. They’ve been having good workouts, so we’re excited for them,” Cantu said. “Some of our defenders will have to go and play offense. That’s just a new set of things to work out and see how we can get the most out of our guys.”
BEARKATS At A Glance COACH: Frank Cantu ASSISTANTS: Not available 2020 RECORD: 3-1, area finalist RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 4/4 RETURNING LETTERMEN: 16 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jayson Cantu, QB, 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, sr.; Nathan Munguia, WR/DB, 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, sr.; Nick Gomez, OL, 6-foot-2, 320 pounds, jr.; Diego Gutierrez, DE/QB, 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, jr.
Photos
by
Claire Cruz
